PSALM 97, A SONG OF PRAISE TO THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall, in the presence of more than 7,000 pilgrims from around the world, Pope John Paul centered his weekly general audience catechesis on Psalm 97, saying it "is a song of praise to the Lord of the universe and of human history."

Psalm 97, he went on, "calls upon the people, and indeed all of creation, to rejoice and proclaim God's greatness." He noted that "there are four singers of this immense chorus of praise. ... The earth and its inhabitants, the sea, the rivers and the mountains all express their joy at the wonderful things the Lord has done for His Chosen People. The Psalm ends on a note of intense expectations: for the Lord will come to rule with justice and judge with truth."

The Pope remarked that this Psalm "is defined as a 'new song', which in biblical language means a perfect song, one that is full, solemn and accompanied by a festive musical show." He affirmed that "This is a colossal chorus, therefore, that has only one aim: to exalt the Lord, king and just judge. ... And this is our great hope and our prayer: 'Thy kingdom come!', a reign of peace, justice and serenity that brings back creation's original harmony."

He said that "God is at the center of the scene in all His majesty, while He effects salvation in history and is awaited to 'judge' the world and peoples. The Hebrew word for 'judgment' also means 'to govern': therefore we await the efficacious action of the Sovereign of all the earth, Who will bring peace and justice."

"Read in the perspective of the Old Testament," said the Holy Father in conclusion, "the Psalm proclaims that God saves His people and that all nations, seeing this, are admiring. On the other hand, in the Christian perspective, God works salvation in Christ, the Son of Israel; all nations see this and are invited to take advantage of this salvation as the Gospel 'is the power of God for the salvation of whoever believes'."

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THE EUCHARIST: SOURCE OF UNITY IN THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - Early last evening the Holy Father received participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses, who have been reflecting upon the theme of the next congress, "The Eucharist, Light and Life of the New Millennium," which will take place in October of 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Pope recalled that the main objective of the committee is "'to make the Lord Jesus known and loved better in His Eucharistic mystery, center of the life of the Church and its mission for the salvation of the world'," as well as to promote international Eucharistic congresses periodically and to foster initiatives to increased devotion to the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic congresses are, he said, "a celebration of faith centered on Eucharistic Christ, in which the faithful, not only from a particular Church or one nation but also from many parts of the world, participate. The Church gathers around her Lord and her God."

In this sense, John Paul II continued, "the work of national delegates, who have been appointed by the respective authorities of Churches in the East and West, is more important than ever. They are called to sensitize their Churches to the theme of the international congress, especially during the period of preparation, so that it may be a source from which the fruits of life and communion flow in the specific Churches."

After emphasizing that the "Eucharist is a source of unity in the Church," the Pope said that the participation of the faithful from different places at an international Eucharistic congress "symbolizes unity and communion."

"The Eucharistic apostolate to which you dedicate yourselves with all your energies," he concluded, "is surely a response to the Lord's invitation: 'Duc in altum!' Persevere in it with commitment and passion, encouraging and spreading Eucharistic devotion in all your expressions."

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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in audience Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

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HOLY FATHER DONATES $400,000 TO HOLY LAND

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum," will be in the Holy Land from November 7 to 10 where he will visit Catholic leaders and institutions and will donate $400,000 to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, the Franciscan custos, Caritas and several Catholic communities.

A communique released today about his trip states: "With the occupation of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which lasted 39 days, there was further proof of how necessary the presence of Christians in the Holy Land is. The continuous acts of violence between Palestinians and Israelis represents unfortunately a persistent threat to the lives of all the inhabitants of the region. Hospitality homes for pilgrims are empty, while in Bethlehem about 80 percent of the population is unemployed. The desire of many people to leave the country is well understood. The safekeeping of the Holy Places would be in serious danger if Christians were to abandon them.

"Following the terrible attacks on the World Trade Center, the Holy Father John Paul II appealed for material and spiritual aid for those suffering the consequences of war and terrorism. His Holiness, among other things, has designated $400,000 of the funds gathered for this purpose to the Holy Land.

"The aim of this trip is not just to turn over this money. Through various meetings, the Holy Father's envoy hopes above all to encourage Christians to remain in these battered places, as so many missionaries are already doing in such a heroic fashion. The support is offered to improve living and working conditions in their land so they might be a fertile seed of humanity and peace."

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THE IDENTITY OF CATHOLIC HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Pastoral, today in the Holy See Press Office presented the 17th international conference promoted by this dicastery. The theme this year is "The Identity of Catholic Health Care Institutions. The three-day meeting starts tomorrow in the New Synod Hall in he Vatican.

Archbishop Lozano recalled that the Catholic Church administers 6,038 hospitals, 17,189 ambulatories, 799 leprosariums, 13,238 centers for old people, the chronically ill and the handicapped, 8,711 orphanages, 10,368 child care centers, 10,565 marriage counselling centers, 18,789 specialized centers for education or social re-education and 25,257 centers for the health care ministry. All told, Catholic health care institutions throughout the world total 110,954.

Referring to the international conference, the council president noted that 34 specialists from different countries will examine the current situation of Catholic hospitals and the economic, social, political and cultural - and above all, religious - challenges they face in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The meetings will likewise include reports from the federations, associations and groups linked to Catholic institutions that work in the world of health care.

In the second part of this conference, the archbishop explained, there will be a debate on the moral, pastoral and theological principles that underpin Catholic hospitals, and an inter-religious dialogue with Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

Archbishop Lozano said that in the third part of the conference, participants will ask what they can do to improve the identity of Catholic hospitals and to perfect the economic, social, political, organizational and administrative aspects. In conclusion, the participants will offer solutions to better the International Association of Catholic Health Care Institutions and the Catholic religious aspect "because this is really the principal objective of our international conference."

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Bernardino Marchio of Pesqueira, Brazil as bishop of Caruaru (area 5,687, population 8,114,030, Catholics 685,125, priests 39, permanent deacons 6, religious 84), Brazil.

- Appointed Bishop Walmir Alberto Valle, I.M.C., of Ze Doca, Brazil as coadjutor of Joacaba (area 10,202, population 295,522, Catholics 242,050, priests 40, permanent deacons 1, religious 85), Brazil.

- Gave his consent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church, who met in Baghdad, Iraq from October 16 to 24, 2001, of Fr. Andras Abouna, member of the eparchial clergy of Baghdad and head of the mission for the Chaldean faithful in London, England as auxiliary of the Patriarchate of Babylonia of the Chaldeans. The bishop-elect was born in Bedare/Zakho, Iraq in 1943 and was ordained a priest in 1966.

- Appointed Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, apostolic nuncio in Kazakhstan, Tadjikistanin and Kyrgyzstan, as apostolic nuncio in Uzbekistan.

- Appointed Archbishop Antonio Mennini, apostolic nuncio in Bulgaria, as representative of the Holy See to the Russian Federation.

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